Stanton, 24, is under team control through the 2016 season and is likely to eventually fetch an expensive long-term deal. Stanton's name has come up in trade rumors in the past, as it's unclear if the Marlins can afford Stanton's new contract, but the team made it clear before this year's trade deadline that it wasn't currently interested in trading the outfielder.

According to the report, the two sides agreed last offseason to table extension talks until after the 2014 season, and the Marlins plan on making a "legitimate" attempt at re-signing Stanton then. Stanton reportedly is much happier in Miami than he was when the club traded away stars Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle before last season, but he still could be out of the Marlins' price range.

If the Marlins are unable to agree to a contract with Stanton this offseason, the team may then begin exploring a trade, reports Heyman.

Stanton, a two-time All-Star, is hitting .289 with a .935 OPS and an NL-leading 27 home runs this season. He's hit 144 home runs since debuting in the majors in 2010.

Verducci: Javier Baez is just the first of many interesting prospects in the Cubs' future

Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci on how the Chicago Cubs calling up Javier Baez has made the team interesting for the first time since Theo Epstein became the President of Baseball Operations in 2011.